Apparatus for flanging sheet metal strips



June 24, 1947. Y 7 I P K 2,422,846

' APPARATUS FORTLANGING SHEET METAL STRIPS Filed March 8, 1946 6 Sheets sheet 1 June 24, 1947. PERKINS I V 2,422,846

' AiPARATUS FOR FLANGING SHEET METAL STRIPS Filed March 8, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 /v VEA/TOr? REG/A0740 PEEK/N5 June 24,'1947. PERKINS 7 2,422,846

APPARATUS FOR FLANGING SHEET METAL STRIPS Filed March 8,- 19,46 6 Shee ts-Sheet 5 I I Q I JA/vezvrof? REGI/VHLD FER/(INS a, MRQW June 24, 1947. PERKINS I 2,422,846 APPARATUS FOR FLANGING SHEET METAL STRIPS Filed March 8, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTO/i.

June-24,1941 f RPERKINS 2, 22,846

APPARATUS FOR FLANGING SHEET METAL STRIPS Filed March 8, 1946 6' Sheets-Sheet 5 June 24, 1947. 2 R pERKlNs 2,422,846'.

APPARATUS FOR FLANGING SHEET METAL STRIPS Filed March 8, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 V I/VVEIVTOI'? PEG/A0940 PERK/NS,

Patented June 24, 1947 APPARATUS FOR FLANGING SHEET METAL STRIPS Reginald Perkins, Hayes, England, assignor to The Fairey Aviation Company Limited, Hayes,

Middlesex, England Application March 8, 1946, Serial No. 652,951 In Great Britain January 25, 1945 4 Claims.

This invention relates to means for flanging sheet metal plates, strips or the like whether carried out by draw bench methods, or by means such as are described and claimed in the specifior if it be desired to bend the work gradually round the former, the dies may be carried in semi-cylindrical seatings in the die holders so that they may accommodate themselves autocation of application for Letters Patent Serial N0. matically to the required angularity. 524,280, filed Feb. 28, 1944, and issued as Patent For a more ready comprehension of the inven- No. 2,420,064 on May 6, 1947, and has for its printion reference is to be had to the accompanying cipal object to produce flanged work of varying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a perspective View Width and a further object is to form flanges at of a typical former and control plate for the provarying angles. l0 duction of a curved component (shown in broken According to the present invention the work lines) of varying section; Figure 2 is a perspecis clamped between two plates, strips or the like, tive view of a former, control plate and straight one of which, hereinafter called a former, corcomponent of varying section, the former, conresponds in cross-sectional shape with the sectrol plate and component being separated from tional configuration, at different transverse one another for the sake of clearness; Figure 3 planes, of the work to be produced, in that the is a perspective view showing three pairs of dies work may be bent round it, and the other of in conjunction with a former, control plate and which, hereinafter called a control plate, also co Compone t Wh c a o Simpler Configuration responds in cross-sectional shape with said work, than that shown in Figure 2 and are depicted in but in an inverse sense, and these plates, strips broken lines; Figures 4 and 5 are exploded views or the like, together with the work, are arranged showing details of the parts of the two dies of a to be drawn through apair of dies adapted to pa p ve y; Figure 6 i a p p ve V w press the work against one side, or against the of a former control plate and component of at opposite sides, of the former, each of said dies bemore complicated varying section, the former, ing adapted to co-operate with the side of the con rol plat nd c mp n t ng separated control plate remote therefrom in order that the from one another for the sake of clearness; Fig- Width of the finished work may vary at predeterure 7 is a perspective View similar to Figure 3 but mined positions along its length. with two formers and with dies arranged for the For this purpose the width of the control plate production n he component f flanges i t d varies in an inverse sense as compared with that pp s e y from the plane 0f the Central Z0118 of the former; that is to say that where at any Web of the component; a d Figures 8 and 9 are position along its length the width of the former e ploded views showing de s f e pa ts of is increased to produce outward bulges on the the two modified dies of a pair, respectively. flanges of the finished work, or is increased at As shown, a former consists of a bar a of metal one side of a median line to produce an outward the shape of which corresponds with that of the bulge on one flange of the finished work, the trough of a channel section piece of work b and width of the control plate, at a corresponding pomay be symmetrical, as shown in Figure 2, or sition along its length, is decreased at both sides asymmetrical, as shown in Figures 1, 3, 6 and '7, or at one side, as the case may be, and, converseabout a longitudinal median plane, that is to ly, the width of the control plate is increased if 40 say, as Sh w i u e 1 the b a m y e f concavities, or a concavity be required in the flu. constant cross sectional shape, but of increasing ished work. width, one side being shaped for the production Preferably the dies are mounted in die holders o a Simple flange 0 at One Side Of Work 17 a having oppositely directed, overlapping or intera stepped flange c at the other side thereof. digitated, limbs which pass under (or over) the Again, as h wn in ur th bar a may have control plate and carry rubbing bl ks, tilateral swellings d, d to form outward bulges e, e friction rollers, or the like, to co-operate with the on the flan es c of t Work to be Produced sides of the control plate. and these bulges e, e may besymmetrical, as If the flanges to be produced on the work are shown in Figure 2, as asymmetrical. Similarly, oppositely directed from the plane of the central it may have lateral concavities f, f to permit corzone or web two formers are required, one of responding co c i es g to be produced in t e which may be integral with the control plate. flanges c, c.

If it be desired to produce on the finished work The control plate consists of a similar bar It a flange which is inclined to the general plane of steel, but the variations of its width are inverse of the work at an angle other than a right angle, as compared with those of the former. This is shown clearly in Figure 2 where it will be seen that concavities 7, 7' at the sides of the control plate h correspond, in position and inversely in shape, with the lateral swellings d, d on the former a and e, e on the work I) and lateral swellings k, 70 at the sides of the control plate h correspond, in position and inversely in shape, with the concavities J, J at the sides of the former a and g, g at the sides of the work I).

For accurate assembly the control plate h is provided near its ends with upstanding locating pins m, m, Figure 2, and the former has corresponding holes n, n to receive the pins m, m. Ihe blank for the work b consists of a suitably shaped plate, strip or the like of metal which is placed in position between the former a and control plate It so that its lateral margins project beyond the former a to an extent corresponding with the flanges c, c to be formed, and means (not shown) may be provided for clamping together the former a, the blank and the control plate h. As shown, especially in. Figures 4 and 5 each of the die holders is of L-shape generally and is arranged with its horizontal limb o and 0' respectively extending across and under the control plate It and with its upright limb p and p respectively extending upwards at one side of the control plate 71., the blank and the former a. Each upright limb p, p has a head q and q respectively which overhangs somewhat the horizontal limb 0 or 0 respectively to present in the re-entrant angle, a seating for a die block 7 which is located by retaining screws 8 and is supported, at thetrailing face of the die holder by a thrust plate t held by screws u to said holder. At its leading end the lower inner corner of the die block r is rounded spherically as at 1), Figure 4, to bend the marginal portion of the blank through a right angle and against the side of the former a when the work is drawn through the dies, as explained hereinafter.

The horizontal limb o of one die holder is bifurcated, as shown in Figure 4, to receive the horizontal limb o of the other die holder shown in Figure 5, and the single limb of said other die holder has upstanding therefrom a curved face rubbing block 10. Integral with the limbs of the bifurcated die holder are two upstanding steps 0:, .1: against which, and bridging the bifurcation, is located a curved face rubbing block 'J secured in position by dowel pins 2, z or like means, the curved faces of these rubbing blocks to and 1 being inwardly directed, i. e., towards one another.

Near their upper and lower parts the die holders are bored to receive guide rods H, II so that, as shown in Figure 3, when the two die holders are assembled in interdigitated relationship they may be slidden away from one another to permit the ends of the control plate h and the former a to be introduced therebetween, the upstanding rubbing blocks in and y contacting with the lateral faces of the control plate h each rubbing block with that lateral face remote from the die to which the rubbing block appertains. When the end of the blank is pulled against and between the dies 1', 1' the die holders tend to separate, but, as such separation is prevented by the coaction of the rubbing blocks 10 and y with the lateral faces of the control plate It, the dies 1", 1" act on the margins of the blank and turn them through a right angle against the sides of the former a, the die holders being allowed to slide on the guide rods H, H and move away from one another when their rubbing blocks w and y enter concavities 7', 7 in the lateral faces of the control plate h, and the die holders 0, p and o, p being forced towards one another when their rubbing blocks 10 and y encounter bulges 70, 70 on said lateral faces thus producing bulges e, e or concavities g, g (as the case may be) from or in the flanges c, c of the work b as the control plate h, the work I) and the former a are drawn between the die holders 0, p and o, p.

The drawing of the control plate h, the work b and the former a between the die holders 0, p, 0, p may be efiected by means of the vice grab on a draw bench or otherwise conveniently such as described in the specification of application for Letters Patent Serial No. 524,280, for instance the former may have one or more series of holes in which the teeth of the gear wheel or wheels may engage. Alternatively, the modified means described in the specification accompanying application for Letters Patent Serial No. 652,950, filed March 8, 1.946, may be employed.

If the work I) is to have two flanges c and-c Figure 7, extending oppositely from the plane of its central zone two formers a and a must be used one a above the blank I) as just described and the other a between the blank b and the control plate h, it being understood that the die holders 0, p, o, p must be suitably gapped to accommodate the extra thickness of metal.

Figures '7, 8 and 9 show modifications which are necessary if a flange on the work is to be pressed into position gradually or if a, flange on the finished work is to be inclined to the central zone at an angle other than a right angle, e. g. as shown in Figure 6. In this event, the corresponding die block 7" is semi-cylindrical at its back, as shown at 12, Figures 8 and 9, the die holder is formed with a semi-cylindrical seating l2, and the die block 1- is held against the seating l2 by die-retaining screws l3 passing through arcuate slots i l in the thrust plate t and in a similar plate t formed integrally at the leading face of the die holder. In this event the die face 11', Figure 8, is situated below the level of the axis of the die block 1", i. e. at the lower part of its diameter and the corresponding lateral face of the former a or a must be suitably angled if an inclined flange is to be produced on the finished work, as shown in Figure 6, the width of the control plate It corresponding inversely, with the width of the former a or a at its median plane, i. e. halfway up the inclined face. If, however, the use of a semi-cylindrically seated die block 1* is to enable a flange c on the work to be pressed into position gradually a series of dies must be provided to enable the cross section of the work to be varied, progressively, e. g. as is the case in the fianging means described in the specification of application for Letters Patent Serial No. 524,280, and the lengths of the horizontal limbs o and 0' respectively of the series of die holders should be varied correspondingly.

I claim:

1. Improved means for fianging sheet metal plates, strips and the like comprising two plates, strips or the like between which the work is clamped, one of which constitutes a former and the other of which constitutes a control plate, and one or more pairs of dies through which the work may be drawn, the former corresponding in crosssectional shape with the sectional configuration, at different transverse planes, of the work to be produced, and the control plate also corresponding in cross-sectional shape with the work, but in the width of the finished work may vary at predetermined positions along its length.

2. Improved means for flanging sheet metal plates, strips and the like, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dies are mounted in die holders having oppositely directed, overlapping or interdigitated, limbs which pass transversely of the control plate and co-operate withthe sides of the control plate.

3. Improved means for fianging sheet metal plates, strips and the like, as claimed in claim 2, wherein two formers are provided in order that there may be produced on the work flanges which are oppositely directed from the plane of the central zone or web of the work.

4. Improved means for flanging sheet metal plates, strips and the like, as claimed in claim 3, wherein the dies are carried in semi-cylindrical sea-tings in the die holders so that they may accommodate themselves automatically to the an- 6 gularity required to enable the production on the finished work of a, flange which is inclined to the general plane of the work at an angle other than a right angle, or if it be desired to bend the work gradually round the former.

REGINALD PERKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 990,470 Beyrle Apr. 25, 1911 1,119,266 Frohlich Dec. 1, 1914 2,301,960 Lermont et a1 Nov. 17, 1942 2,348,193 Combs et al. May 9, 1944 1,272,999 Rehbein July 16, 1918 2,400,151 Kirsch May 14, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 681,618 Germany Sept. 27, 1939 536,935 Great Britain May 30, 1941 586,395

Germany Oct. 20, 1933 

